


my glory road

by arzenpai



Series: ikigai [1]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Kujou Riku, twinswap!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-06 20:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20297380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arzenpai/pseuds/arzenpai
Summary: Riku sings to the world and wants nothing more than to be heard. With his song, Zero, he rises to the top.But when you get to the top, there's nowhere to go but down.





	my glory road

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO FUTURE WORLD  
this is my submission for Idolish7 Flange Bang 2019!  
thank you for having me and shout out to my amazing writer (you'll see their work in the fic ;) )  
have fun and keep loving idolish7!

“Are you sure about this, Rikkun?”

There was no hesitance in his voice as he answered. “More than anything. I want this song.”

A tell-tale spark burned behind red eyes as Riku gazed at the thin stack of papers in his hands. Finally, he had a song, and it wasn’t just any song. It was _ the _ song. The song that would ultimately relay his feelings to everyone.

His eyes softened a little. ‘Everyone including _ him _.’

He glanced up at the older man standing in front of him. “Although… Momo-san, are you sure this is okay? You’re basically helping the enemy…” It was no secret that Momo adored his songwriter Yuki, and that Yuki hated Riku’s father. For all the help that the pair had given him throughout his entire career, Riku didn’t want to step on their toes.

But Momo just smiled brightly at him. “Oh, _ pshhh _! Don’t worry about it. If there’s anyone Yuki-san would want to help, it’s you. You’re practically his child, you know!” he assured.

Riku flushed bashfully at that, ultimately deciding that it was fair game to tease his senpai in retaliation. Even just for a little bit. “Does that make you my mama, then?” He giggled at the pretty shade of red that Momo turned into.

Waving his hands in front of his face, Momo exclaimed, “D-Don’t imply that-- my heart might just burst! Besides, Yuki-san’s too beautiful for the likes of me.” Despite his words, he seemed very flattered, and continued to grin at Riku. “Anyway, I have to dash. Yuki-san asked me to drop by the market to buy some lentils.”

On his way out, Momo left him a pat on the shoulder along with a soft smile.

“Let the whole word hear your heart, Rikkun. If you sing like you always do… I’m sure even _ he _’ll listen.”

Riku’s eyes widened as he stared at Momo’s retreating back._ ‘When… What?’ _ He wondered if Momo meant his father, or if Momo simply knew more than he let on. Riku wouldn’t be surprised-- despite his carefree disposition, Momo was obviously very perceptive.

He wasn’t too worried, on the off-chance that Momo did know of the secret he had been keeping; the other idol was a very kind person and wouldn’t sink Riku into a scandal. _ ‘But…’  
_

Riku looked once more at the song sheets he held, a frown pulling his lips down. _ ‘I just hope Iori and father don’t go against this too much…’ _

* * *

Not surprisingly, Iori was against it.

The moment Riku handed him the song sheets, Iori’s face darkened.

“Kujo-san, this can potentially ruin your entire career.” Arms crossed, Iori looked like a very intimidating figure as he stood in front of their table. Riku had gone through the painstaking method of bribing his secondary manager with his favorite sweets (courtesy of Mitsuki-san!) so that he would be in a good mood for the news, but alas. “Please stop eating first and listen to me. Singing this song would anger a lot of people. You’ve gathered a lot of popularity during the past two years, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be saved from backlash.”

His frown deepened. “If anything, your popularity is a double-edged sword-- it can be your downfall.” Then he shook his head. “I, for one, would have to advise against this. It is a very foolish move.”

Riku paused and considered Iori’s words. “It’s not foolish, Iori. I just… I just want to express what I feel. The song’s good, too! I’ve even practiced it a few times already.” And by that, he meant he already had the entire song and melody memorized and perfected. He hadn’t always been a genius with his performances, but his father’s rigorous trainers had ingrained in him skills and discipline that was hard to shake off; it meant he worked on something until it was perfect for him and his fans.

Iori shook his head, reaching down to tap a finger against the title of the song. “It’s not the lyric content; I know better than to doubt Orikasa-san’s abilities.” He ignored Riku’s sheepish look and continued on. “It’s the song choice itself. Why did you have to ask him to write something like this, anyway? You _ know _ it’s risky.” A pause. “Anything related to Zero is risky.”

Riku looked down at his pastry, a bit chastised. He himself wasn’t sure why exactly he pushed for this idea-- besides that it felt right. He wasn’t a complete idiot like Iori believed him to be, and he knew it was bound to face some resistance. Besides Iori, he still needed to consult with Yaotome-san. And even if his father was away on a business trip, Riku still should have told Kujo-san, too.

He understood Iori’s points-- he himself had thought of the possible consequences of this action, of course. But Riku wasn’t going to back down.

Perhaps it was foolish, after all. But he wanted to do this, _ so badly _. It was basically life-and-death to him at this point.

“I want everyone to watch me. I want my song to reach everyone! My heart is set on this. I’ll make everyone watch me and listen to my song-- to hear my feelings!”

Iori’s eyes widened, surprised by Riku’s outburst. “But Kujo-san--”

Riku soldiered on and leaned forward. “Besides! I know Iori will be there to protect me.”

Iori’s expression shifted into that of embarrassment and he stammered. “D-Don’t say that so wishy-washily…!” He coughed and tried to recompose himself, but Riku decided to take this opportunity to drive in his point.

“You promised you’d make me a superstar to rival Zero, didn’t you? _ Manager _?” Riku wondered if he was pushing this too far. He knew how much Iori was dedicated to his job, and Riku rarely used these little notions to his advantage. Such underhanded methods were more of his father, not him.

And if anything, Iori was turning redder and redder. He was obviously in conflict with himself, but Riku would never back down. Not when he was so dead set on this; they both knew that.

With a fierce gaze in his red eyes, Riku waited.

“...alright,” came his second manager's sigh. Iori recomposed himself and levelled him with a look as intense as the other Riku was giving him. “But Kujo-san will have to promise that he’ll follow my advice in regards to his safety. This could backfire on you, and I-- we don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

A bright grin bloomed on Riku’s face, and he surged forward, across the table, to throw his arms around Iori. “Thanks, Iori! You’re the absolute best!” He felt Iori tense at first touch, but he soon relaxed and even patted Riku on the back. Iori was still blushing by the time Riku pulled away, but Riku paid no mind to that-- he only smiled brightly at the younger male.

_ ‘Thank you for hearing me out, Iori! With your support, I can really do this!” _

* * *

Takamasa Kujo agreed so easily that it should have unsettled Riku, but he opted not to dwell too much on it. His father was an odd, odd man with many mysteries, and throughout years of being Kujo-san’s adopted son, Riku had learned not to question most of his decisions. He had always seemed to have let Riku do his own thing, and only butted in whenever Riku was about to do something terribly consequential.

_ ‘It means I’m not wrong with this. I want to do it, and I will!’ _

But Riku had always been rather short-sighted, and had failed to see the strained smile his father had hid behind his gloved hand.

* * *

The recordings went smoothly. Riku felt the most energetic and determined that he had ever been, and with Iori’s support as well as Anesagi-san’s management, he was able to release a music video just a few weeks before his next big concert.

Riku sat in one of his dancing studios when the video dropped, and Iori adamantly refused to hand him his phone. “But I want to see what everyone’s saying!” he complained, frowning. “Did they hear my song? My feelings? Come on, Iori!”

Iori shook his head, holding the device out of his reach. “No, Kujo-san. We have to prepare for your concert, and I won’t allow you to be affected by what people are saying.” His eyes softened.

“You trust me, don’t you? After all… I promised to make you a star that would surpass Zero.”

At that, Riku stilled and frowned. He trusted Iori, of course. But… He wanted to see what _ he _ was doing. Did _ he _ post anything online? Was _ he _ watching?

Iori took his silence as a yes and smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Kujo-san. Just prepare for the concert, and we’ll take care of everything else. Or… are you going to quit now?”

Riku’s hard, determined eyes shone in the bright light of the studio. “Of course not!”

_ ‘I believe in myself. There’s no turning back!’ _

* * *

Before the concert, Riku dreamed.

He dreamed of a young man in a silly black cap and pink cardigan berating him about what he had done, and that he should have just sang something different. Something safe. _ “You don’t need to throw your life away, stupid brother. Didn’t you think of how your fans would feel? How _ I _ would feel?” _

He had dreamed of himself chuckling. _ “But _ you _ ’re here now, right? That means _ you _ heard my song. _ You _ heard what I was trying to say. That’s all that matters!” _ His head hurt, which was weird, because-- wasn’t this a dream?

He dreamed of the young man frowning at him, but then trying to smile. _ “Sleep, Riku. You must be tired.” _

_ “Will you be still here when I wake up?” _ A question that Riku had always asked, even back then, when Tenn was by his side and Riku had an older brother that didn’t hate him. _ “Will you still sing for me when I wake up?” _

This time, he received no answer-- not when the four corners of the room started to fade like specters, bringing the young man along with them.

Riku's heart leapt into a panic, words the shape of his brother's name forming just to be screamed out-- but the air was empty with silence.

Just like the void resting on his outstretched hand.

* * *

_ “Everybody, give me your attention!” _

The stage lights were blinding, and Riku almost couldn’t see the crowd beyond it. But their screams of delight mirrored the loud heartbeats in his ears, and of course, with such a reception, there was no way he would let down the fans that came to see and listen to him. He was going to shine so brightly that they wouldn’t be able to look away.

No one would be able to ignore him. No one would be able to turn their backs on him.

_ ‘Listen to me. Watch me. Love me.’ _

His chest began to hurt during the second half of the song, but he kept going. Kept dancing, kept singing. He kept moving forward. There was no time to worry about the little things now, now that he was center stage. Everyone needed to look at him and see how much he had grown, how much he had changed and improved ever since he started from the bottom.

_ “Even if I lose my balance, there’s no time to stand up again! It’s alright even if it’s at the last minute, that is my progressive form!” _

And most of all… Riku wanted a special someone to see him. Riku wanted nothing more than to have _ him _ look at how hard he’s worked and realize… Riku was no longer the sick child that couldn’t leave the bed because of his weak body.

Riku was more than that, and Riku wanted _ him _ to see that.

_ ‘Tenn-nii, watch me! You don’t have to protect me anymore!’ _

* * *

_ “Today is my own fate, I will go. Just keep going on and never look back!” _

* * *

The ringing in his ears hadn’t subsided, but Riku could see past the light now. He could see his fans, cheering for him. Singing with him. Shouting and expressing their love and Riku could finally feel like he was seen. That he was being watched. That he was being listened to, and that his words had reached their ears and most importantly, their hearts.

_ ‘I’m Riku, and I’m going to have fun with everyone! I won’t be left out anymore!’ _

But then--

_ ‘Huh?’ _

A searing pain jolted through his entire body, and Riku felt his mic slip through his fingers.

Suddenly, the cheers didn’t seem so cheerful anymore.

Riku could hear the screams. They screamed at him, scared and angry, and all Riku could see--

\--was red, red, _ red _.

* * *

Riku opened his eyes to a familiar white ceiling and softly groaned to himself. Did he overdo it again? Did he waste all of everyone’s efforts and collapse during his concert?

“You’re finally awake.”

Riku jolted at the sound of that voice. That voice that he so wanted to hear. “Tenn-nii?”

His voice was still thick with sleep. And as if from his dream itself, Tenn in a pink cardigan sat beside Riku’s bed, peeling an apple with practiced fingers. It was like a scene from his childhood, where Tenn would berate Riku for playing too much in the snow, and Riku would apologize through stilted coughs.

Except this time, Tenn doesn’t scold him. He just continued to peel the apple, and then sliced it into bite-sized pieces.

“Is this a dream?” he asked, trying to commit the scene into memory, lest it was suddenly time for Iori to wake him up. “C-Can you sing to me again?”

That made Tenn pause, and finally, look at him. A cherubic, near-splitting image that was enough to dampen the lingering heaviness in his limbs. There is a soft smile on his face as he said, “This is no dream, Zero’s successor.”

A pain, treacherous and sharp shot through Riku's body at the words. It was wrong-- _ he _ sounded wrong, and it was hell waiting out the next few minutes until all the hurt had dissipated.

_ It was _ him, _ right? _

Riku wanted-- no, _ needed _ to make sure.

When he finally regained the strength to open his eyes, the image before him felt like a stone dropped down his stomach. Riku frowned, for what sat beside him wasn’t the Tenn-nii that he had been yearning for, but Takamasa Kujo. His adopted father--the man that had started his entire journey down this forsaken glory road.

“Things have been quite chaotic since the accident on stage. But people have been calling out for you, Riku. They’ve been wanting to see you again. They want to hear your voice again. Will you sing?”

_ 'C-can you sing to me again?' _

_ 'Can you sing, Tenn-nii?' _

_ 'Did you see?' _

_ 'Did you listen?' _

Riku couldn’t understand what was happening; his head throbbed, but when asked like that, what else could he do but accept?

And accept he did, just like he had all those years ago.

_ 'If not, then I'll sing for you again. I'll do whatever it takes.' _

“Of course I’ll sing."

**Author's Note:**

> art by the amazing @skelletory on twitter!


End file.
